- Shops and shopping centers are exempt from closing times.
- Punjab, Sindh have already eased business restrictions in the past.
- Energy savings that were imposed earlier have now been relaxed.
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday approved the exemption of business closure times across the country until May 31, effectively allowing commercial centers to operate without the previously imposed restrictions.
According to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division, all shops, department stores, bazaars, markets and malls will remain open on all days of the week without restriction of closing hours.
The exception also applies to bakeries, tandoors, restaurants and convenience stores, which have been allowed to continue operating beyond the previously set times.
The decision comes after provincial governments had already eased restrictions on working hours. The Punjab government had earlier extended relaxed opening hours for markets and commercial centers till June 1, while suspending the mandatory 10 pm closing rule.
Similarly, the Sindh government had on May 16 announced relief for traders and citizens, exempting markets, malls, restaurants, hotels and marriage halls from fixed closing hours in a bid to support economic activity.
Meanwhile, the governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan also followed suit and announced the end of smart lockdown measures across the province and lifted restrictions on market timings and opening hours.
Working hours were curtailed across the country last month as part of energy-saving measures introduced amid a sharp rise in domestic fuel prices triggered by the Middle East conflict.
The measures, which were part of the federal government’s wider austerity and fuel saving plan, aimed to reduce energy consumption following the rise in fuel prices.
